Clip

ABSTRACT

A SINGLE WIRE CLIP WITH AN ARCUATE CLAMPING PORTION, YIELDABLE OUTWARDLY BENT LEGS FOR TRANSVERSE MOUNTING TO A HAIR ROLLER, AND A GRASPING LOOP INTEGRAL WITH THE CLAMPING PORTION.

United States Patent [72] lnventor SamuelJ.Popeil Chicago, Ill.

(21] Appl. No. 846,182

[22] Filed July 30, 1969 Division of Ser. No. 693,432. Dec. 26, 1967,Pat. No. 3,480,019, which is a continuationin-part of Ser. Nos. 551,320,May 19, 1966 and 591.939. Sept. 6. 1966, abandoned.

[45] Patented June 28, 1971 [73] Assignee Popeil Brothers, Inc.

Chicago, 111.

[54] CLIP 2 Claims, 25 Drawing Figs.

52 use: 132/46 [51] Int. Cl A45d 8/00 [50] Field of Search 132/46,124,41, 48, 64, 50; 124/10; 24/257, 261,139,137

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,279,449 10/1966 Ellis124/10 FOREIGN PATENTS 580,852 8/1958 ltaly 132/41 Primary ExaminerLouis 0. M ancene Assistant Examinef-Gregory E. McNeillAttorney-Dominik, Knechtel and Godula ABSTRACT: A single wire clip withan arcuate clamping portion, yieldable outwardly bent legs fortransverse mounting to a hair roller, and a grasping loop integral withthe clamping portion.

PATENTEU JUN28 Ian SHEET 1 [IF 4 PATENIED JUH28 lsm SHEET 3 [If 4 mi-HmEHTEQ PATENTEU JUN281971 rein yfa oagf M141, 4 6 64 CLIP Thisapplication is a divisional application of Us. Pat. application, Ser.No. 693,432 now Pat. No. 3.480.019. filed Dec. 26, I967. which, in turn.is a continuation-in-part of earlier filed applications, Ser. No.551,320, filed May l9, I966 and Ser. No. 591.939, now abandoned, filedSept. 6, I966.

The present invention relates to a roller, a composition of matter forthe roller, and a clip, all ofwhich combine in use for setting the hair.In use, the roller is heated preferably by steaming. The hollow rollershave a plurality of spines extending radially from the roller body.Strands of hair are rolled over the rollers and secured by clips untilthe rollers have transferred their moisture and heat to the hair therebysetting the curl. In particular, this invention relates to an improvedclip which is particularly adapted for use in combination with a rollerhaving a cylindrical-shaped body, for securing said rol- Iers in thehair.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide animproved clip for securing rollers in the hair.

Still another object is to provide improved clips which are particularlyadapted for use in combination with rollers having cylindrical-shapedbodies, for securing said rollers in the hair.

A still further object is to provide improved clips of the above typewhich are fabricated easily and inexpensively from a single length ofwire.

Another object is to provide improved clips of the above type which haveorienting loops that serve the twofold purpose of supplying a springaction, and an orientation point.

Further objects and advantages and details of the present invention willbecome apparent as the following description proceeds accompanied by theexplanation of the details of th illustrative drawings in which: I

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the rollers partially inserted in aladys hair in the manner illustrative of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective partially diagrammatic view showing how the hairis wrapped upon a roller.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the roller illustrating how the hair is rolledunderneath.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating howthe hair ends arerolled over the top of the roller.

FIG. 5 is a front elevation ofa roller illustrative of the structure ofthe present invention.

FIG. 6 is an end view in the same scale as that of FIG. 5 of the rollershown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the roller taken alongsection line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a transverse sectional view of the roller taken along sectionline 8-8 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating how the clip isplaced in position on a strand of hair to tightly retain the hair strandagainst the roller after the hair has been rolled on the roller.

FIG. 10 is a front elevation of a clip of the character showndiagrammatically in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is an end view of the clip shown in the same scale as FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a front elevation of the clip shown in FIGS. 9 through 11inclusive, illustrating its conformed relationship to the roller.

FIG. 13 is a perspective partially diagrammatic view of a steam chest ofthe character useful in preheating and steaming the rollers.

FIG. 14 is an end view of the steam chest shown in FIG. 13 illustratingdiagrammatically how a linkage mechanism may be employed to pen the lidportion for removing the rollers.

FIG. 15 is a front elevation in reduced scale of the steam chest shownin FIGS. 13 and 14, partially broken to illustrate the interiorstructure.

FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view of the steam chest taken alongsection line 16-16 of FIG. 15 looking downwardly on the heating elementand base ofthe roller.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view illustrating an alternative form forheating and moistening the rollers.

5 4 minutes FIG. 18 is a front elevation of a roller illustrative of thestructure of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is an end view in the same scale as that of FIG. 18 of theroller shown in FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a longitudinal sectional view of the roller taken alongsection line 20-20 of FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 is a transverse sectional view of the roller taken along sectionline 21-21 of FIG. 18.

FIG. 22 is a front elevation of a roller illustrative of the structureof the present invention.

FIG. 23 is an end view in the same scale as that of FIG. 22 of theroller shown in FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a longitudinal sectional view of the roller taken alongsection line 24-24 of FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 is a transverse sectional view of the roller taken along sectionline 25-25 of FIG. 22.

In the above-identified copending application, Ser. No. 693,432, thepresent application being a division of the same, there is disclosed aroller, a composition of matter for the roller, and a clip, all of whichcombine in use for setting the hair. The apparatus preferably employedin the method comprises a roller 10 and means for heating the same notto exceed the boiling temperature of water. While the heating may beaccomplished by boiling the roller in water (see FIG. 17), it ispreferred that a steam chest 40 (see FIGS. 13 to 16) be employed whichwill assure heating and surface retention of distilled water. Beforeturning to the specific configuration of the roller 10 and steam chest40, they will be discussed generally in terms of the material and theproperties which are desirably exhibited by the material and theparticular configuration. While certain plastics are discussedextensively, other materials with comparable heat and moisture retentioncharacteristics are contemplated.

Test results have indicated that it is important that the roller body 18retain a temperature in the range of 185 F. to F. for 2 minutes.Employing a generally annular cylinder of 2 inches to 4 inches inlength, and approximately 1 inch in diameter with a body wall in therange of one-eighth inch to one-fourth inch will produce a satisfactoryusable and manageable roller. When the roller is hollow with closed endssuperior thermal results are achieved. Whatever plastic material isemployed for molding the rollers should be stable at sustainedtemperatures in excess of 212 F. polypropylene will exhibit goodtemperature characteristics particularly when hollow and both ends aresealed. The addition of talc to polypropylene in a 40 percentcomposition by weight exhibits excellent moisture and heat retentionproperties. Amaterial marketed under the trademark DELRIN which is agenerally acetal material produces excellent results. The hollow roller10 with an uninterrupted interior having closed ends is most desirablethermally, and also because of its lighter weight and lower materialcost as compared to a solid roller.

The following tables are indicative of the temperature curve at averageroom temperatures when DELRIN with a cored center but open end, and acored center with closed ends respectively have been employed afterrising to the temperature of boiling water and removing:

Open End Closed End DELRIN- DELRIN- cored, cored,

degree degree Removal 190 190 15 seconds- 190 180 30 seconds. 185 178 45seconds 182 178 1 minute 177 178 1 minute 15 seconds 173 176 1 minute 30seconds 169 176 1 minute 45 seconds 166 175 2 minutes 163 173 2 minutes15 seconds 172 2 minutes 30 secouds 157 170 2 minutes 45 seconds.. 155168 3 minutes 153 166 ,3 minutes 15 seconds 151 3 minutes 30 seconds...I. 148 164 3 minutes 45 seconds 145 162 144 161 1t will be noted thatin all instances the temperature at the end of 2 minutes was in excessof 160 F., but that the DELRIN with an open end cored center achieved aslightly higher initial temperature. With the hollow roller havingclosed ends, a thinner wall section may be employed to arrive at thesame temperature characteristics as above with the open ended roller. Asindicated above, the net result is a lighter, more comfortable rollerwith a lower cost and superior curling characteristics.

Materials such as polyethylene have low water retention characteristics,and accordingly are less desirable. Furthermore, such materials asstyrene and polystyrene distort at relatively low temperatures. and thusare less desirable, even though less expensive. In addition, their waterretention characteristics are also relatively low.

Nylon has good water retention characteristics and temperaturecharacteristics, but is considerably more expensive. A preferredmaterial for the rollers 10 is polypropylene with an additive of 40-50percent by weight of talcum powder. If more than 50 percent of thetalcum powder is used, the spines 16 thereon (described more fullybelow) become brittle and break and the general strength of the rollersis reduced. If less than 40 percent of the talcum is used, the heatretention characteristics of the polypropylene are substantiallyreduced.

Talcum powder has heretofore been added to polypropylene to improve itsdimensional stability and stiffness, and also has been recommended toimprove heat distortion and to minimize sink marks. The fact, however,that it can be used for the purpose of retaining moisture and a highlatent heat as employed with the rollers 10 of the present invention hasnever been recognized nor employed.

With rollers 10 formed of polypropylene and the talcum powder additive,in approximately 2 minutes, all of the moisture is transferred from therollers and yet the temperature of the rollers remains between 185 and150 for 4 to minutes. Thus, the talcum polypropylene rollers have thetemperature retention characteristics and good moisture transfercharacteristics important to fast setting. In addition, the rollers donot distort at sustained temperatures of boiling water.

Rollers fabricated of the polypropylene with the talcum powder additivealso provide substantial economic advantages. Ordinary polypropylenecosts in the range of to cents a pound. With the talcum powder additive,it costs approximately 27 cents a pound. DELRIN, while prior to thediscovery of the advantages provided by polypropylene talcum powdermixture, was considered a preferred material and costs 70 to 80 cents apound. The characteristics of the polypropylene talcum power mixture aresuperior to those of DELRlN, hence both substantial savings in cost andimproved operating characteristics are realized.

Rollers formed of polypropylene with a talcum powder additive alsoexhibit an off-white color somewhat pearlescent. This color matchesquite closely the color of an end cap 21 (described below) formed ofpure polypropylene so that the finished rollers have an attractiveappearance.

As new and different plastics, metal, alloys and sintered materials aredeveloped, there will undoubtedly be improved materials which can beemployed. It will still remain essential to the invention that theroller have good temperature retention characteristics, moisturetransferring characteristics, and not distort at sustained temperaturesof boiling water. The best results are achieved when the roller willremain within the range of 175 F. to 185 F. for the first 2 minutesafter being taken from a 212 F. aqueous environment, and still have atemperature of 150 F. 3 minutes after such removal.

The above results can be shown by way ofimprovement and comparison withthe typical electrically heated dry rollers of the type referred toabove. In the table below, a typical dry curler was removed from itselectrical heating unit after 2 minutes of heating and its temperatureread for 15 minutes (the first minute appearing in 15 second intervals).The FIGS. set forth below are to be contrasted with a polypropyleneroller made in accordance with the invention which has a hollowuninterrupted interio -a conical sealed end cap, and a plurality ofspines exemplary of the present invention, after the same had beenheated for 10 minutes in a steam chest:

Roller I1- Hot lustrative Dry 0! the Curler, Invention 1 degree Timeafter Removal:

15 seconds 325 174 30 seconds. 360 172 45 seconds. 355 168 1 minute 350163 2 minutes 308 157 3 minutes 270 153 4 minutes 243 149 5 minutes 218144 6 minutes 200 138 7 minutes 178 134 8 minutes 163 130 9 minutes 142125 10 minutes 142 121 11 minutes 134 117 12 minutes 127 115 13 minutes121 112 14 minutes 116 15 minutes 112 107 d .After 10 Min. in SteamChest (polypropylene with sealed ends),

egree.

It will thus be seen that the hot dry curler actually can remain in thehair for a full 5 minutes at a temperature above that of boiling water,and accordingly literally stearns the moisture out of the hair. The veryopposite is the case with the illustrative polypropylene roller, whereduring the first 3 minutes in a temperature range beneath that ofboiling water, it transfers its heat as well as moisture into the hair,the moisture dissipating naturally to set the curl without removing thenatural moisture from the hair.

More specifically, it will be noted that the embodiment of the roller 10as disclosed in the drawings has an exterior cylindrical roller body 18.The outer face of the body 18 is preferably smooth to reduce thetendency to tangle the hair upon unwinding. A plurality of spines 16 areintegrally molded into the body 18 and extend therefrom radially adistance anywhere from 5 percent to 15 percent of the diameter of thecylinder and approximately the thickness of the body. The spines aredesirably on centers 30 or less.

Best results have been achieved when the spines 16 are oriented inlongitudinal spine rows 10 and circumferential spine rows 20symmetrically arranged with 10 spines in each direction. The symmetricalarrangement of the spines 16 offers the twofold advantage of permittinga combing of the stand of hair before it is rolled on the roller, andalso reducing the tendency for the roller to tangle in the hair beforeunrolling. Furthermore, it will be noted that the outer circumferentialrows of spines are oriented closely to the ends of the roller body 18 sothat the rollers can be gripped by the hands at their very ends withoutthe fingers touching the roller body 18. The natural action of the useris therefore to shape the strand inwardly thereby reducing the tendencyof the outer strands to slip over the ends of the roller. The ends ofthe spines 16 are dull to prevent scalp irritation and make them morecomfortable to handle. The smooth finish on the spines 16 furtherinhibits tangling.

, After the rollers are removed from the hot aqueous environment they donot burn the fingers while rolling the curl because the fingers contactonly the spine ends. The body portion 18, however, must necessarilyremain hot as long as possible. By arranging the spines in the mannerdisclosed, comfortable handling is achieved almost immediately afterremoval. As to size, the diameters of the roller body 18 can varybetween five-eighths inch to 2 inches. An ideal length is approximately3 inches, with the tips of the outer spines spanning at least 2 /2inches. In the average kit, 12 of the larger diameter rollers will beemployed, with 6 of a smaller size. Naturally, this mix will vary inaccordance with the user depending upon the texture and the amount ofhair as well as the hair style to be set.

From a manufacturing standpoint, the roller body 18 is molded with ahollow uninterrupted core 24, and a closed end 22. A recessed collar 17(FIG. 20) is molded into the open end of the roller body 18, and an endcap 21 with a stepped end cap shoulder is provided to close the open endof the roller body 18. Alternatively, and preferably, the end cap 21terminates in a point or peak 27 defined by a conical face 59, asillustrated in FIG. 5. It is desirable that the included angle of thetaper approximate l20 and that the conical face 59 have a polishedsurface to inhibit the deposit or retention of large droplets of hotwater. The end cap 21 can be affixed to the roller body 18 in severaldifferent fashions. For example, it is pressure fitted as shown in FIG.20. Alternatively, a tapered shoulder 23 can be molded into the open endof the roller body 18, and a mating tapered end cap shoulder 25 formedon the end cap 21, as illustrated in FIG. 7. The interface defined bythe conical shoulders 23, 25 is spin welded by rotating the end cap 21in accordance with accepted manufacturing techniques.

A preferred fit results from molding a recessed annular locking groove28 into the open end of the roller body 18, and a mating raised annularlocking collar 29 on the end cap 21, as illustrated in FIG. 24. Withthis construction, the end cap 21 can be easily and quickly snap-fittedto the roller body to assemble a roller 10. Whether high speed spinningor snap-in techniques are used to accomplish the tight fit at theinterface, it is most important that a near watertight seal be effected.

The closed end 22 of the roller body 18 also preferably andadvantageously has a self-contained measuring cavity 57 formed in it(FIGS. 23 and 24) which is proportioned to measure out the proper amountof baking soda to add to l cup (approximately 8 ounces) of distilledwater, to provide the proper amount of ionization and conductivity tothe water. In certain areas, by experiment, the user will determine thatordinary tap water has sufficient conductivity to generate steam quicklyand efficiently, In areas where the water is extremely hard, by usingdistilled water and adding one measuring cavity full of baking soda,cleanliness and uniformity of operation can be achieved. At least oneroller in a set desirably utilizes the measuring cavity.

It will also be appreciated that each separate end plug can be coloredto code the size of the roller, and because of the taper at one end ofthe roller, the roller must be properly oriented with the colored endupward so that the user can quickly determine the size of roller she isgrasping. In addition, of course, because the tapered end is upward, thetendency to retain hot moisture droplets which could scald the hand orthe scalp is virtually eliminated.

As will be noted in FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8, the I2 rows of spines 16 areoriented in four separate directions. This configuration is desireablefrom a molding standpoint, but not essential to the invention. Just asreadily the I2 rows of spines could all be oriented radially from thecenter of the roller body 18. What is important, however, is that therebe a symmetrical orientation of the spines 16, that the length of thelongitudinal rows of the spines 16 be at least 2 5: inches, that thehollow core 24 be uninterrupted, and that the interior of the core 24 beeffectively sealed against leakage of moisture by means of theattachment of the end cap 2 I to the roller body I 8.

Irrespective of the type of roller employed, when a lady is setting herown hair, there is always a problem of securing the tightly wrapped hairstrand in place. This is particularly true when setting the hair at therear of the head, where the sense of touch is the only guide availablewhen self-setting techniques are employed. Thus, it is highly desirableto have a hair clip which not only will secure the hair tightly in itswrapped configuration about the roller, but also be easy to insert,locate and remove. Turning now to FIGS. 9 through 12 inclusive, it willbe seen that a hair clip 30 has been provided which has a looped tab 31which serves the two-fold purpose of providing resiliency to the clip30, and also rendering it easy to locate, insert and remove. Referringto FIG. 1, it will be seen there that the looped tabs 31 remain at theoutside of the roller, and are easy to observe as well as physicallylocate.

The looped tab 3i is generally circular terminating in neck bends 35which define a looped tab neck 36. Extending from the looped tab neck 36are outer leg 32 and inner leg 34. The base portion of the legs 32, 34define an arcuate-shaped roller body clamping portion 33 (shown inshaded lines in FIGS. 10 and 12). A clamp opener portion 38 is reverselybent at the open end of the outer leg 32, and engages the roller body inthe manner shown in FIG. 9, thereby springing the two legs 32, 34outwardly to thereby receive the strand of hair and roller ,10. Theblunted ends 39 formed at the tips of the legs 32, 34

are provided to prevent scratching, and assist in rendering theinsertion of the clip 30 an easier task.

More specifically it will be seen in FIG. 2 that the user is able tohold the roller 10 and manipulate same with the fingers of one hand 14twisting the same, and the other hand 15 guiding the hair strands tocurl tightly in the roller 10. As illustrated diagrammatically in FIGS.3 and 4, the fine ends 13 of the hair strand 11 adhere to the rollerbody 18 because the peripheral portion of the body is moist after havingbeen removed from the steam chest 40 or boiling water. Because the hairends 13 adhere closely to the roller body 18, a much tighter wrap can beachieved, the balance of the hair strand l1 reinforcing the tightness ofthe curl until the roller 10 approximates a contact position with thescalp 26 as shown in FIG. 1. At this point the clip 30 is positionedwith the legs circumferentially opposed over the roller 10 as shown inFIG. 12. The symmetrical orientation of the spines 16 of the roller 10divides the hair strand 1] into separate segments between the spines.This orients the clip 30 and prevents the hair from slipping sideways,thereby insuring a tightly retained curl.

As set forth above, the preferred embodiment contemplates that theinterior of the roller 10 have a hollow core 24 with closed ends, butlimited effective curling results may be achieved in the event one endis open or both ends are open, so long as the roller is first steamed orboiled, or otherwise subject to an aqueous environment at approximatelythe boiling point of water.

Referring now to FIGS. 13 through 16, a steam chest 40 is shown whichwill effectively steam the roller 10 in accordance with the method ofthe invention. As shown in FIG. 13 the steam chest 40 has a lid 41 whichis secured at its rear portion by means of hinges 42 to the body 43.

The lid 41 may be raised by means of the lid release linkage which opensup the interior where the rollers (as shown in FIG. 15) set upon aperforated base 44. Beneath the perforated tray 44 is a water trough 46which is filled with water. A pair of heating elements 45 are within thewater trough, and serve as a safety in that the circuit for heating isnot closed unless the elements are submerged in water.

A divider wall 48 may be provided, or several, to divide various sizesof the rollers.

As noted in FIG. 14, the lid release linkage 50 may be activated by afinger tab 51 with one hand. The finger tab SI is on the tab crank 52which is pivoted at a central pivot 55, so that when it is depressed,the end pivot 55 activates the lid .lever 54 which is in turn pivotallyconnected to the lid 41.

Therefore, by pressing the finger tab 51, the lid 41 is opened to theposition as shown in the phantom lines in FIG. 14.

An alternative form of heating the rollers, most simple, expeditious,and yet useful, is shown in FIG. 17. There a pot 60 is selected by theuser from many cooking pots, filled with water,

and heated over a conventional stove burner 61. Since the rollers 10 arehollow, they will float on top of the water and can be picked out bykitchen tongs or any other conventional method after they have beenboiled for approximately 8 to l0 minutes. Since the rollers are light inweight, and only boiling water is required for use, they are ideal fortravel use.

Because the method of the invention requires steaming or boiling therollers, the temperature of each roller is automatically controlled notto exceed 2I2 F. Depending upon the hardness of the water, steamingbetween I0 and 12 minutes is preferred for best results. When the rollerhas been properly steamed, and removed, all of the moisture willevaporate off its surface in one minute or less when exposed to ambientenvironment out of the hair. Naturally the same roller placed promptlyin the hair will first transfer its moisture to the hair, and then giveup the balance of its heat in setting the hair.

When hard water is used to generate the steam, the natural action ofevaporation and condensing steam insures that the rollers 10 will onlybe contacted with pure distilled water. Thus the hair uniformly treatedin terms of temperature as well as the type of moisture which contactsthe hair. Furthermore, as set forth in the objects of the invention,each roller is necessarily sterilized before use, and cannot beeffectively used until it has been sterilized.

While the invention has been described in connection with specificembodiments and applications, it is not applicant's intention torestrict himself thereto, but to include within the invention all of thesubject matter defined by the spirit as well as the letter of theannexed claims.

lclaim:

I. A clip in combination with a roller having a uniform curvalinearcross section, said clip having an arcuate shaped roller clampingportion defined by a yieldable member terminating in inner and outerlegs and a loop integral with the arcuate-shaped portion to define a tabfor manipulating the clip and removably securing the samecircumferentially on said roller transversely to the longitudinal axisthereof, and an outwardly bent clamp opener portion at the end of theouter leg, the entire clip being formed from a single piece of wirematerial.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said roller has a circular-shapedcross section.

